Chew on this:
Call of Duty: World at War had greater combined US sales on current-gen consoles in its first three months of release than did
Call of Duty 4.
World at War achieved this milestone despite
COD4 outselling it by nearly 400,000 Xbox 360 units during the comparable months. A rise in PS3 sales from
COD4 to
World at War -- just over 130,000 units -- helped to slightly offset this difference, but the introduction of a Wii version of
World at War (
COD4 had no such entry) tipped the scales in favor of the latest
Call of Duty entry. In December alone, the Wii
World at War (pictured) sold more than 366,000 units.
This trend spotting is a result of analyst Matt Matthews' work (published on
Gamasutra) and seems to indicate that Wii is a profitable platform for third-party publishers; at least, for Activision, which had two multiplatform titles with Wii versions in the
January NPD Top 10. As for our Xbox 360 and PS3 sales
assumptions, uh,
analysis? Gears of War 2 and
Left 4 Dead definitely hindered
World at War sales on Xbox 360 from November through January, while on PS3, there simply wasn't a strong
resistance to choosing
World at War as the holiday's go-to shooter. Will
Modern Warfare 2 follow suit? We expect a surge in both PS3
and Xbox 360 enlisters -- but we're not sold on the concept of modern warfare on Wii ... and neither is Infinity Ward, we imagine.
{ Feb 17th 2009 at 2:03PM } 
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
B3astofthe3ast @ Feb 17th 2009 2:12PM
Quality>Quantity
Erik @ Feb 17th 2009 2:18PM
Amen to that. CoD4 is 366,000 times better than WaW. So take that Treyarch!
nutman @ Feb 17th 2009 2:25PM
No one cares though.
flanker22 @ Feb 17th 2009 2:38PM
im not really sure how you can count the wii version into the total sales as they're different games different campaigns different controls only thing similar is that they're both WW2, release date, and same title.
Bleu @ Feb 17th 2009 3:06PM
why in the world would people play this game on the wii. smh
Ordeith @ Feb 17th 2009 3:33PM
Bleu:
A lot of people play a lot of games on the Wii that I can't understand.
I have an X360 and a Wii and can't find a reason to use the Wii most days.
tuntis @ Feb 18th 2009 10:08AM
@flanker22: WaW on the Wii is almost the exact same game with the same campaign and multiplayer as the other versions.
JXCgunrunna @ Feb 17th 2009 2:13PM
I would say that there was more than just Gears 2 and Left 4 Dead that hindered the 360 sales of W@W
Chilly P @ Feb 17th 2009 2:21PM
That's ridiculous, GoW2 and L4D sales probably were not as big of barriers as Halo 3 and The Orange Box. A lot of people (myself included) didn't buy CoD5 b/c it was basically a mod for CoD4, which was developed by a more talented and more creative team.
JXCgunrunna @ Feb 17th 2009 3:23PM
my point exactly. i didnt buy W@W either for the same reasons. Its over halfway through February so by this time I feel like im closer to the Beta for MW2 than i am to W@W
Cyro @ Feb 17th 2009 2:12PM
That looks like a PS2 game in that screen shot or just a little better than a PSP game.
Its incredible how Nintendo just ridiculed Sony and MS with such an inferior console and it sells so much more.
Dr Jeckyl and Mr ESC. @ Feb 17th 2009 2:23PM
It is affordable, family friendly; it was released during the DS craze in Japan also Nintendo knows how to mange public relations while Microsoft division just announces Halo and Gears of War. I haven’t seen a x360 ad after “Last Day” then again I don’t watch tv lately.
Sony well is the most expensive of all, they don’t support all countries, outside America and certain parts of Europe is crazy expensive (800$ here with LBP and I’m not kidding) Sony brand itself gets a very bad rap and the cherry on the top their marketing department and PR is brain dead.
Just look at this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7DH49WgTEOQ
How you ef up an ad for a game that let’s you kill Giant Aliens in WWII?
xFenixKnightx @ Feb 17th 2009 2:23PM
I got this on Wii for my boys and it actually looks decent in 480p with a Wii Component cable. Definately better than a PS2 game. I don't see why they couldn't port over COD4 either. More money for Activision.
Wait, did I just defend...a Wii game? I'm gonna go lay down now...
Fernando Rocker @ Feb 17th 2009 2:35PM
That's the problem with the multiplatform development...
Look, I love the Wii. I really do. And I love the 360. Last week I had a blast playing Overkill, Deadly Creatures and my early copy of SF4.
But as much as I like the Wii, I will never buy a multiplatform game on the Wii (just like last gen my PS2 was only for exclusives and the Gamecube for multiplatform games and exclusives)... Why? Because those games will not be optimized for the Wii, not at all, in any department. Multiplatform games on the Wii will always be gimped versions. And that's the reaosn why some of those games don't have a lot sales... there is no way that a guy who has a 360 and Wii or a PS3 and Wii will buy a multiplatform game on the Wii, not even me, a huge Nintendo fan.
But what happens when the game is developed just for the Wii? Just take for example the Shaun White game. It's completely different from the 360 and PS3 versions. The graphics are pretty, the gameplay is good. The sales were very good. Just look at the Nintendo games... Super Mario Galaxy is superb in every aspect. Or just look at The House of the Dead: Overkill. It was released last week, and it's already on the UK Top 10.
Developers need to start developing games exclusively for the Wii. I don't the Wii and 360/PS3 to fight for the same. I just want equally support. This year definitely looks very very good when it comes to third party games on the Wii. And companies like EA are now aware of that. Last week they announced that this year, 50% of their console games will be PS3/360 and 50% Wii games, and no ports.
xFenixKnightx @ Feb 17th 2009 2:47PM
Fernando
It is possible did you not just read my post where I said I bought it for my boys on Wii even though I already own it for 360? I know, totally different case. You have a point cuz I would have NEVER, ever ever ever ever eva eva eva eva eva... bought it for myself on Wii. :P
Hopefully Nintendo uses some of that cash that keeps rolling their way and makes an (graphics and online wise) up to snuff next gen console.
Gehodra @ Feb 17th 2009 2:56PM
Saying the Wii has better graphics than a PS2 game isn't exactly praise (or defense)...
Foetoid @ Feb 17th 2009 4:34PM
Wrong Fernando. I own a Wii and there is a 360 in my house and when i had to choose which console to buy WaW for, it was Wii immediatly. The graphics aren't as good, but in 480p on my big-screen TV, they are pretty good. I bought it for the controls. I would EASILY choose the Wii version of any multi-format First-Person-Shooter. Whats gimped, is dual-analog FPS controls. When i get a new graphics card for my PC, it'll be PC that reins as the FPS king in my house, but until then, i'd easily take the Wii version of an FPS over a 360/Ps3 version.
sam @ Feb 17th 2009 6:00PM
@Gehodra: Why not? What would you expect? This is a Wii - it's somewhat under twice as fast as a GameCube, which generally produced graphics slightly better than PS2. So 'somewhat better than PS2' (and in anamorphic widescreen and hopefully with a decent framerate) is about where the graphics ought to sit. Wii owners know what the system can do graphics-wise. You'd be crazy to pretend the system can really do more than 'somewhat better than PS2'. It's about what, twice as powerful graphics-wise? Three times at most? 'Twice' doesn't go a long way with graphics. The other platforms are at least ten times more powerful.
It'd be like saying PS3 graphics are crap because a PC running the latest $2,000 Nvidia can do much better. Or even that DS graphics are crap because Wii looks better. No shit, Sherlock. By this point, anyone who's playing Wii knows that graphics are not going to be anywhere near the level of the other two systems and nobody bar the criminally insane will make any kind of claim to the contrary.
The fact is that Wii graphics - like the screenshot above - are perfectly good enough for many people. For a game that involves a lot of shooting, personally I'd rather have graphics like that and pointer aiming than PS3/60 graphics and thumbsticks. Obviously that's a minority opinion among FPS fans - possibly why the Wii version sold 360k in a month, vs PS3 average monthly sales of 410k on a tiny fraction of the userbase - but it's by no means an illogical one.
(By the way, for a game that involves a lot of zombies and relatively little shooting, I'd rather have graphics that can display a lot of zombies. Just for instance.)
I didn't buy this game. Assuming (a) the Wii version of the next one is good, and (b) it's not set in world war anyfuckingthingstopthatnowit'swaypasttired, I'll probably pick it up.
Xta Large, Unfanboy Extraordinaire @ Feb 17th 2009 7:14PM
Foetoid, the tradeoff there was loads of DLC content, loads of online and offline content that shipped with the game, etc.
You'd have to be stupid to choose the Wii version over the other two versions. It's just plain gimped - the other two versions are feature filled. After playing them, even with anaolg controls, ya don't want to go back.
Deck @ Feb 17th 2009 2:15PM
This makes me sad, honestly. Since COD4 is SO much better that World at War. Granted, I admit that I have and play both of them but.. COD4 is where its truly at.
Also I think InfinityWard wanted to put forward a certain experience and realized that couldn't of been done on the Wii, thus never released it. Whereas Treyarch, probably able to be pushed around by Activision a bit more, accepted a WIi release.
Matt @ Feb 17th 2009 2:24PM
Why does it make you sad? I don't think you fully read and/or understood the article. It says that COD4 outsold WaW on the 360 in the same period. The Gamasutra article says that WaW is lagging behind its predecessor.
Mr Khan @ Feb 17th 2009 2:48PM
Infinity Ward is just as subservient to Activision as Treyarch would be. If Activision tells them to do a Wii version, they'll do it.
Noshino @ Feb 17th 2009 3:02PM
Mr Khan,
That's unlikely, but what they would most likely do instead is get a B grade studio to make a Wii port.
Dr Jeckyl and Mr ESC. @ Feb 17th 2009 2:15PM
I haven't played it yet and I have it in my house, the reason is that nowadays or you get cut from your job or you get to work inhumanly. Well at least I still have a job but damn I barely get time for anything.
Is it too hard to get into MP or I’m too late and I’m going to get pwned by every grenade spammer out there?
ProfWho @ Feb 17th 2009 2:19PM
But I thought 3rd Party Mature titles cannot sell on the Wii. What will be my new internet generated meme now?
TracerBullet @ Feb 17th 2009 2:24PM
considering House of Dead: Overkill debuted at the 10th place at the Uk sales chart, according the same Gamasutra... yep. But you will be not alone, several analysts will follow.
PS - I'm just following the sarcasm here. No harm intended.
tmacairjordan87 @ Feb 17th 2009 2:20PM
It never stops amazing me how so many people are willing to accept a much much inferior product, when there is no real reason to do so now that the 360 is cheaper. Just goes to show that no matter what, stupidity will always rule in this world.
AceWarrior007 @ Feb 17th 2009 2:26PM
Just goes to show you that holier than thou hardcore gamers will always be stuck in their little niche while the rest of us enjoy games regardless of how many pixels each scene has.
tmacairjordan87 @ Feb 17th 2009 2:30PM
Now I normally dont' argue with pure stupidity, but can you explain why on earth you would willingly accept an inferior product, when you can get a far superior product for cheaper than the weak one? Not just with games, but anything really. There's no sense even trying to answer it, because there is no logical answer other than "I have no idea" or "I like to waste money on inferior products".
Dr Jeckyl and Mr ESC. @ Feb 17th 2009 2:32PM
Could it be that maybe they like the Wii? nah their probably stupid because they don't support the console my mommy gave me for my birthday because I'm super.
(I have all of them olololol)
TracerBullet @ Feb 17th 2009 2:46PM
"It never stops amazing me how so many people are willing to accept a much much inferior product, when there is no real reason to do so now that the 360 is cheaper. Just goes to show that no matter what, stupidity will always rule in this world."
Inferior in what way? On the contrary, Wii has the edge of being a system much easier to control, with less buttons to push. Today, people pay for simplicity: see the success of the Ipod and theFlip. Well, even the DS follows the rule of "the simplier, the better".
Second, if price was everything, no one would buy, for instance, a Ferrari, even more considering any Ford is much more confortable. But people want more than price. And seems that the Wii delievers it to a larger audience. .
BigD145 @ Feb 17th 2009 2:50PM
I can spend $1,000 on 3 consoles or $200 on 1. I can spend $60 per game or $50 per. You do understand there's a recession going on, yes?
You do understand the controls are quite different?
Mr Khan @ Feb 17th 2009 2:53PM
Inferiority is objective. To the masses, the PS360 are inferior for whatever reason, lower cost-benefit ratio, less fun, more complicated, whatever they think, when they vote with their dollars, they vote for the superior product
PS360 are technically superior and critically superior, but you can bet that both Sony and Microsoft would much, much rather be in the position Nintendo's in: market superior
Fernando Rocker @ Feb 17th 2009 3:02PM
Well... I have a 360 and a Wii... and it's obvious that the 360 has better graphics. But honestly, there is no better game to me this entire than Super Mario Galaxy and Metroid Prime 3.
Just because you don't like the Wii (you don't even have one), it doesn't mean that the games are bad. Problem is that people like you, judge the Wii for the bad games, but you forget on purpose all the amazing games that the Wii have.
And why do people keep buying PS3 when it's obvious that the 360 has a way better gaming library than the PS3 at a cheaper price? The PS3 is lucky to have comparable graphics to the 360 because that way it receive all the third party support that the 360 receives. That's the only reason why third party devs. put their games on the PS3... because it's easy. Just look at the top 20 NPD of January 2009. The PS3 only had 1 single title. People are not buying games for the PS3. Thanks to the 360, the PS3 is receiving the 360 ports.
Have fun playing SF4 on the PS3, which according to IGN, is glitchy and blurry compared to the 360 version.
samfish @ Feb 17th 2009 3:11PM
"can you explain why on earth you would willingly accept an inferior product, when you can get a far superior product for cheaper than the weak one"
I would buy an "inferior" version of Resident Evil 5 on the wii for the "superior" controls.
in WaW's case, the 'inferior' product is in fact the cheaper one, too.
Noshino @ Feb 17th 2009 3:19PM
"Inferiority is objective. To the masses, the PS360 are inferior for whatever reason, lower cost-benefit ratio, less fun, more complicated, whatever they think, when they vote with their dollars, they vote for the superior product"
Sorry Sire, but you are confusing terms, Inferiority/Superiority when it comes to consoles is not a matter of opinion, since they can in fact be compared piece by piece. No one can say that the Wii is superior to the PS3 or the 360.
What you are referring to is customer preference, which for the most part is based on mainstread appeal/word of mouth, and entry fee, two aspects in which Nintendo has the upper hand.
tmacairjordan87 @ Feb 17th 2009 3:26PM
The inferior is not the cheaper, because if you were to buy a 360 core and COD you'd be spending around $260 compared to $300 with the wii (obviously just comparing both base packages). Assuming the average gamer only needs a memory card because they just want to play games, they're getting the far superior product for a bit cheaper.
eNrique @ Feb 17th 2009 4:01PM
Well, I have a PlayStation 3 and a 360, and it's obvious that both of them have better graphics. But there is no better game to me this entire Gen (*i added this) than Metal Gear Solid 4.
Just because you don't like the PS3 (you don't even have one), it doesn't mean that the games are bad. Problem is that people like you, judge the PS3 for its bad games(like Haze), but you forget on purpose all the amazing games the PS3 has.
And why do people keep buying Wii's when it's obvious that the Ps3 gives a better "bang for your bucks" and has way better Graphics, Online play and game library. The Wii is lucky to have comparable graphics to GameCube and Ps2 because that way it receives more third party support.
That's the only reason 3rd party devs put their "games" on the Wii... because it's easy. Just look at the top 10 NPD of Jan 2009. The Wii Dominated the top 3 spots with WiiFit, WiiPlay and Mario kart Wii. People are not buying REAL games for the Wii. Thanks to the PS2 and GameCube, the Wii is receiving ports (Okami, RE4).
Have fun playing Dead Rising on the Wii, according to the videos Hitman on the Ps2 had more enemies/whatever on the screen compared to the Wii version of Dead Rising.
I tried to fix it.
(:
eNrique @ Feb 17th 2009 4:06PM
^^ Reply to fernando
dreadnought1 @ Feb 17th 2009 5:16PM
@fernando crocker
I have all three and yes, the games in general for the Wii are horrendous. Look at the average reviews scores for the system as a whole and you can see that as plain as day. I haven't touched the thing in months, where as i play the 360 2 or three times a month and the PS3 every single day. The PS3 library is ten times that of the Wii in terms of quality and gaining comperabiltity to that of the 360's library very quickly.
BTW,
Who in there right mind would want to play any fighting game ever released, let alone Street Fighter 4, on the 360 over the PS3 with that controller. Please read your beloved IGN's reviews for every fighting game released over the last 12 months and you will notice one consistent theme.
TwEE @ Feb 17th 2009 5:17PM
Pizza is superior to hotdogs but try as I might I cant get people to stop eating hotdogs. I stand in front of the hotdog vendor all day doing my best to educate people on the situation, but to no avail. If only they would walk a few more blocks to the pizza shop and spend a few more dollars on a slice of pizza they could be enjoying a superior snack...you know more bang for their buck.
Sure some people think Im an asshole because I spend all day standing in front a hotdog vendor telling people how stupid they are for enjoying hotdogs. And sure they may think its pointless trying to project my personal snacking values on other people.... but who gives a shit, these people ain't even real snackers, and I can guarantee you one fucking thing, soon very soon the ignorant masses are going to wake up and realise they've been had.
Insight @ Feb 17th 2009 7:18PM
AceWarrior, you're obviously one of those folks with the belief that graphics > gameplay.
Consider this - the Wii version is absolutely STRIPPED of content when compared to the other two versions.
It's missing most of the multiplayer modes. It's missing online vehicles. It's missing weapons. It's missing Nazi Zombies. It's missing local multiplayer.
IT'S GIMPED. Not because it's got worse graphics, but because it's a worse product all around.
Jerk Face @ Feb 17th 2009 7:40PM
@TwEE
Okay, that was really fucking funny. Well played, sir.
AceWarrior007 @ Feb 17th 2009 2:22PM
BUT THE WII IS DESTROYING GAMING!!!!!
According to james and his sarcastic tirades against the Wii...
Insight @ Feb 17th 2009 7:16PM
Tirades?
Haha. Never seen one. Then again, any article that doesn't immediately paint every system except for the PS3 in a positive light is somehow evil and holier than thou to you.
As far as tirades go, you're the king. OH PS3 THIS OH PS3 THAT
jumpshot @ Feb 17th 2009 2:25PM
I've said it before and I'll say it again. The reason COD W@W is selling so fast is BECAUSE of COD4. With 4, people slowly discovered an awesome gem. With W@W, people expect the same and have no problem buying it right away, not realizing that there's a different company each time.
So overall sales may be a better measure of how well IW's game is doing vs Treyarch, but even then, more people will be introduced to the cloned multiplayer anyway so that may not be the best gauge either.
I'm enjoying W@W and I'm glad they didn't try to fix what wasn't broken.
Chris D.(PSN: Aggie_CEO | XBL:The Aggie CEO | Steam: Aggie_CEO @ Feb 17th 2009 2:31PM
thats crazy. Although I wont be buying W@W and waiting for MW2, I have to admit its an OK game, I rented it for a week and sent it back. hate those damn dogs
joeybeast @ Feb 17th 2009 2:35PM
I say Joystiq is right on the money.
I bought L4D and GoW2 but not WAW.
dreadnought1 @ Feb 17th 2009 2:36PM
"while on PS3, there simply wasn't a strong resistance to choosing World at War as the holiday's go-to shooter"
bzzzzzzzz..........proof please? I've played R2, ten times more the W@W and R2 has sold 1.4 million copies worldwide.
Mr Khan @ Feb 17th 2009 2:51PM
Fun fact of World At War Wii is that it's actually selling faster than Metroid Prime 3, just all under the radar. Probably cap out lower, but you never know. The point is that it establishes a fanbase for the franchise on the Wii, giving ample reason for Modern Warfare 2 to go there
Why would Infinity Ward be opposed to working on Wii?